London's England bunk-off: Poll reveals a third of fans to skip work on Monday to watch World Cup match against Mexico

More than a third of Londoners plan to bunk off work on Monday after England play Mexico in a highly-anticipated early morning World Cup clash, a snap poll has revealed.

It comes as the government announces that pubs in England and Wales will now be allowed to stay open until 5am after the game at the Azteca.

A poll conducted by the Standard found that 35% of those surveyed planned on skipping work after the 1am match.

Evening Standard spoke to a total of 102 Londoners around Liverpool Street and Moorgate, with only 20% (21) saying they would be working as usual on Monday morning.

Around 7% (7) said they had booked the day off especially for the game, while 18% (19) of Londoners surveyed said that they would be working from home.

One woman said she had booked the day off weeks ago and would be staying up with her son to watch it, while another said he had booked the morning off to recover.

Of the 36 Londoners (35% of those surveyed) who confessed to bunking off work, eight admitted they would pretend to work from home by “wiggling their mouse” or intermittently “tapping their keyboard.”

One Londoner in the sales industry admitted that he would be scheduling a series of fake meetings to appear busy on Monday morning, as he chugged down a pint outside The Globe.

However, 18% (19) of those asked said they would not be watching the game at all or would watch the highlights the following day.

A group of colleagues in the marketing industry told Evening Standard that while they did not intend on pulling a sickie, they expected to find their managing director asleep at his desk again.

James, a 37-year-old electrician based in Liverpool Street, said he couldn’t work from home, but he was expecting “the hangover from hell on Monday morning.”

Another keen England supporter, Oli, a sports analyst, said: “Real England fans will pull a sickie or work through the pain.

As he clocked off work, stood outside Liverpool Street station, he said: “If England win, I won’t be going to bed until Tuesday anyway!”

There were several calls for the Prime Minister Keir Starmer to make one last “hail Mary” and declare a national bank holiday regardless of the outcome of the game.

But the government has remained resolute that there will be no public holiday.

But Sir Keir’s U-turn on Thursday to allow a blanket extension of licensing laws to allow pubs to stay open until 5am was a welcome announcement to many across the country.

London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan had been among figures to urge the government to “allow pubs to stay open into the early hours of Monday morning - so that Londoners can back our pubs and cheer on England as they take on Mexico.”

Tens of thousands of Londoners clocked off early to head to the pub on Wednesday night where England beat Congo in a nail-biting match in Atlanta.

Many claimed they’d rather be “jobless than miss an England game” while another said he had feigned a doctor’s appointment.

However, ministers have urged parents to not allow their children to bunk off school.

Skills minister Baroness Smith urged parents to get their children into class. She said: "Parents will make their own decision.”

But then she added: “What I will say is, I will be watching but I'll be in work the next morning as well.

"Kids have to be in school in order to be learning, and that's what I would ask parents to reflect on.

"All of us need to go into work on Monday to celebrate England's victory against Mexico."